8 ideas #2 - June 2015 - ERC Newsletter

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At the beginning of June, the ERC Scientific Council held its first plenary meeting in Strasbourg, France. It was an opportunity for the ERC to meet researchers from the region. ERC President Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, a French scientist himself, pointed out that applicants having a host institution in France have consistently one of the highest success rates in the ERC calls. So, what lies behind Frances success?

Frances domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) has been increasing steadily since 2006 and it is now second highest in the EU. In 2012, the countrys GERD stood at EUR 46 billion or 2.26% of its GDP, representing 17.2% of total expenditure of all EU Member States. However, France also faces some problems. While the number of bachelor and master students in the country keeps increasing, Frances PhD numbers have fallen for the sixth year in a row in 2014.

France and the ERC

France boasts the highest success rate (16%) in ERC calls of all EU Member States. 84% of all French grantees, most of them holders of ERC Starting Grants, work in their home institutions. Two French research organisations are in top three institutions in terms of number of ERC grantees hosted there: National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM).

France has 67 Nobel laureates. Two of them received the prize while carrying out their ERC Advanced Grant projects. In 2012, Prof. Serge Haroche shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution towards measuring individual quantum systems. Two years later, Prof. Jean Tirole won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his lifework in examining competition and monopoly behaviour.

ERC grants in France

674 ERC grantees are based in French host institutions, representing a total funding of around EUR 1.3 billion.

366 researchers hold Starting Grants, 95 hold Consolidator Grants, 213 hold Advanced Grants.

345 projects are in Physical Sciences & Engineering, 237 in Life Sciences and 92 in Social Sciences & Humanities.

France

9ideas #2 - June 2015 - ERC Newsletter

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What are your main activities as ERC NCPs in France?

In addition to answering applicants specific questions, we organise information days every year in about 15 cities around France to present the ERC Work Programme and to provide useful tips to applicants. Of course, our message has to be adapted to specific research communities in certain geographical areas. ERC grantees are always involved in these info days; it is a good opportunity for potential applicants to meet them and learn from their experience. We also analyse the results of each call - per domain and by host institutions - in order to identify any trends at the regional level and to fill gaps in our communication strategy, if any. Finally, our website - on which we publish all the materials relevant to ERC calls, as well as presentations and interviews with grantees - serves as a communication platform with applicants .

What is your biggest challenge as NCPs?

As far as the number of grants is concerned, France is doing well. We are usually in the top three, compared to other countries, in terms of number of grants obtained in each call. France can also boast high success rates, for example from 2007 to 2013, more than 15% of ERC applicants based in the country received funding. However, the difficulty lies in a relatively low participation rate. Only around 9% of the total submissions are made from France, probably due to fear of tough competition. We believe that some worthy researchers still feel that ERC grants are unreachable for them. Our biggest challenge as NCPs is to encourage these top scientists to apply for funding at the European level, and specifically for the ERC.

How important are ERC grants for researchers based in France?

The ERC really became a label for excellence now acknowledged by all communities and age categories. ERC grant schemes are a great opportunity especially for young researchers to develop their own activities, as the amount of funding offered by the ERC is hardly achievable at the national level. As a matter of fact, the National Agency for Research encourages the winners of its calls for young researchers to apply for ERC funding in the last two years of their projects.

France is well-known for its excellent research. What is the country doing to attract best brains?

Some French institutions have implemented Chairs of Excellence programmes providing substantial means to undertake ambitious research projects. Another important point is probably the fact that France still offers permanent positions in academia, even though the wages are not very high. At the EU level and in collaboration with the European Commission, France also takes part in promotional initiatives such as Destination Europe or tours in specific countries, like China and Brazil, aiming at showcasing Europes excellence in research and innovation, and presenting opportunities offered to scientists from anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, in our opinion, our greatest asset to attract best brains to France lies in our irresistible wine and cheese production!

A few questions to

Laura Sedaine and Philippe Roussignol the French National Contact Points (NCPs)

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